Katara and Zuko are Totally Just Friends!
by themomentofdavyprentiss
Summary: An afternoon at the Ba Sing Se spa doesn't go according to plan when Katara is confronted about the nature of her relationship with a certain firebender. Zutara.
1. Sparring

_**AN:** For this, assume everything in the show is canon, except the Maiko reuinion and the Kataang kiss in the finale. Huge thanks to zukocrownprinceofthefirenation, who beta'd. _

* * *

In hindsight, Katara should have seen what happened coming from a mile away.

In fact, it was a wonder that it didn't happen sooner, but foresight has never been Katara's strong suit. She wasn't _stupid_ by any means. She happened to be one of the most resourceful and clever members of her group. When it came to certain things, though, especially things Katara didn't _want_ to see or realize, she was the most oblivious and dense person alive. It was almost like she _refused_ to see what was right in front of her. Or she saw it, and just decided not to recognize or acknowledge it.

Hence how Toph and Suki were able to catch Katara completely off guard.

After Zuko's coronation, everyone in their 'Gaang' had traveled to Ba Sing Se to celebrate the reopening of Iroh's teashop. The opening was two days away, and while the boys were out in the city (doing whatever the heck it was that the Fire Lord, the Avatar, and a master swordsman/tactician _did_ unsupervised in the largest city in the world), Suki, Toph, and Katara decided to have a girls' day and revisit the spa that Katara and Toph had gone to months before.

Katara and Suki were in the middle of a pedicure (Toph and the ladies of the spa learned last time that her feet were _not_ to be touched _)_ when the two decided to pounce.

"So Katara..." Suki started, prompting Katara to slightly turn her head towards the warrior. "Toph and I were talking earlier and we wanted to ask you..." Suki paused for a moment. She struggled to continue, as if she didn't know how to word what she wanted to say. "What's your... _boy_ situation?"

Katara looked at Suki blankly. She raised an eyebrow at the now anxious looking Suki. _Boy situation?_ She dropped a glance at Toph, who leaned forward, interested in what Katara had to say.

"There isn't one." Katara was slightly surprised; not only was Suki asking, but this was apparently something both she and Toph had talked about previously. The three of them were practically inseparable. They would know if something was going on with Katara. But there wasn't anything _to_ know _._ Unless...

Suki pressed on. "Look, Katara... we didn't say anything about it during the war because, well, it was a war. Which was a stressful time for everyone and we didn't want to add to that by bringing this up. But... Toph and I... _we_ _know_."

Katara closed her eyes and groaned inwardly. _I can't believe this is happening. How did they even find out?_ She thought. _Was it that obvious? I mean I know he isn't subtle about it but... I_ _haven't even had this conversation with him yet... Just deny it, Katara, and maybe they'll let it go._

"I'm sorry, Suki," Katara lied, taking a sip of the tea the spa had provided. "I really don't know what you're talking about." She took another sip of her tea. Suki looked like she was about to say something else, when Toph interjected.

"Oh please!" Toph said, blind eyes rolling. "You are such an awful liar. We _all know_ that you and Zuko are sleeping together, so you can stop trying to hide it!"

 _Wrong time to take a drink, Katara._

Tea ungracefully shot out of Katara's mouth as she started choking on her drink. Her eyes bugged out of her head as she looked at the two other girls in complete shock. She pounded on her chest, trying to clear her lungs.

" _What?!"_ Katara finally sputtered. _Excuse me?!_ Katara was at a loss for words. She thought the two were talking about Aang's crush on her. _But this..._ _sleeping_ _with Zuko? How? Where did they even get that idea?!_

The ladies painting Suki and Katara's nails said nothing, but their eyes widened. Their ears also perked, interested in where the conversation was going. _Crap. Now there are going to be rumors all throughout the city that I'm... intimate... with the Fire Lord._

"Zuko and I are _not_ sleeping together!" Katara exclaimed, slightly angry. "Why would you think that?"

Suki looked slightly embarrassed, but Toph was unfazed. "Don't try to deny it," Toph said. "You guys are _so obvious!_ When we were hiding in the Fire Nation, you guys snuck around _all the time_ , even at the Western Air Temple! Late nights when everyone was asleep... early mornings sneaking back to camp! 'Sparring'," she scoffed, "as if that could fool us."

Katara couldn't believe she was hearing this. She and Zuko were _just friends._ Good friends! Best friends! _Sure, they were close. And they spent a lot of time together... And he was really attractive... and caring..._

 _No!_ They were _just friends_. And they _absolutely_ were not... _together_ like that. Why did everyone assume this? First the Ember Island Players, then June, now her own friends! Did _everyone_ in their group think this? She knew Aang couldn't possibly, he would've flipped out completely and it would have been a huge mess. But did Sokka think so?

Katara sighed. "Toph, come over here. Put your hand on my chair, or my shoulder or something; whatever you need so you can tell that I'm _not_ lying." Toph looked unconvinced, but came over anyway. Katara looked directly into Toph's unseeing eyes as she spoke. "Zuko and I are not, and have never, slept together or been together in any romantic way."

Toph's demeanor faltered slightly, and Suki spoke up. "So, is she telling the truth?"

Toph shifted uncomfortably."Yeah..." she said sheepishly. "She's telling the truth. Sorry, Sugar Queen... we were just so sure!"

Still in disbelief, Katara looked between Suki and Toph. "You really thought we were secretly together?" Katara was genuinely shocked. _Did they act like they were sneaking around?_

Suki finally spoke again. "Well... yeah... Like Toph said, you guys would disappear late at night and then some mornings you would come back to camp looking tired and... ruffled. You said you were just _sparring,_ " she used air quotes when she said that last word. "But we thought you guys were just _really_ bad at hiding your... _meetings_ and used 'sparring' as a cover-up. Plus there was that one morning when—you know what, nevermind, it doesn't matter. I believe you."

Suki tried to smile at Katara apologetically, but Katara wasn't having any of that. "When _what,_ Suki?" What could have possibly happened that made Suki convinced that they were together? What morning was she talking about?

"There was one morning when you two got back from 'sparring'... and Zuko had a very prominent... uhm... _hickey_ on his neck."

Katara's eyes widened and then immediately shut closed. Blushing fiercely, she immediately hid her face in her hands. Katara knew _exactly_ what Suki was talking about. "It wasn't a hickey! It was just a bruise from sparring!"

XXX

As sneaky and suspicious as they may have seemed, Katara and Zuko really were just sparring. It started at the Western Air Temple simply as a way for Katara to fight Zuko without judgement or resistance. She couldn't truly hurt him—Aang needed him—but any frustration and hatred Katara felt build up during the day was able to be expressed in the healthiest way she knew. And, the fact that she could release it all directly onto the source of her anger helped.

Their matches often developed into extensive and dramatic ordeals, which, coupled with the fact that they both spent their days training Aang, resulted in the two only practicing once everyone else was asleep. Shortly after they began meeting, Katara proposed that the two also spar at sunrise. She realized that under the moon, she always had the advantage. As much as Katara despised Zuko, she thought it only right to give him a fighting chance once and awhile.

So late nights alternated with early mornings, and a comfortable routine developed between the two of them. The two benders were able to practice with someone directly on their skill level, and every skirmish they fought just felt… _right_. Even after Katara had forgiven him, the two continued meeting. In fact, their fights became much more helpful and intense _after_ the two officially became friends. Once she trusted Zuko, Katara was able to experiment and try new moves on him, now willing to learn from his approach and take any criticisms that he offered.

On the morning in question, the two were in the middle of fighting when Katara noticed something interesting. Rather than force the fire out of his fist, Zuko executed a move where he guided the fire down in a wave like motion. Katara _knew_ that move. It was a waterbending move. Katara released the water she was holding onto the sand below her. "Wait! Wait wait, stop!"

Zuko dropped his stance immediately. He looked concerned and ran over to her. "What is it?" he asked, worry in his voice. "I didn't accidentally burn you, did I?"

Katara shook her head. "No... it's just... what you just did... that last move. Do it again." Zuko looked at her slightly confused, but complied as she watched. "That's a waterbending move! Did you... copy that from me?"

Zuko smiled nervously. He scratched the back of his head, looking down slightly. "Yeah..." He mumbled, slightly embarrassed. "My uncle taught me a couple forms that he developed from watching waterbenders, and I thought... maybe taking moves directly from other bending styles might work, too."

Katara beamed up at him, amazed. "That's so cool! I can't believe I never thought to do that in all my time traveling with Aang!" Katara was visibly excited. "Could you show me some firebending stances?"

Though slightly taken aback, Zuko nodded. "Oh! Uh, sure." He took Katara's hand and turned her around so that they were facing the same direction.

"Now," he started, guiding her arm and closing her fingers into a fist. "With any element other than fire, the three things benders need to control are speed, shape, and direction. This holds true with firebending, but we also have to focus on creating, maintaining, and expanding their flames. I've seen you use water to cut like a knife, so I know you've got the control part down, and I think this one form will translate over well..."

He wrapped himself around her, completely covering her back. Katara could feel the warmth of his breath right on her ear as he continued talking. "For firebenders, this move requires you guide the flame you've already created, not just make more. So for you, this should be another way to help guide the water." Taking her left hand, the one in a fist, he guides it over her chest, straightening her arm out. "So you start with this hand over like this, and then swing it outwards in a slicing motion." Holding her left hand, he slowly motions it outwards in a level arc, "Like this."

Zuko let go of her and backed away, waiting for her to repeat the move without his help. Katara took her stance and repeated what Zuko showed her slowly. She looked to him expectantly when she was done. "Like that?"

He smiled at her. "Yeah, just like that. Now try it again, faster, and switch arms after each strike."

Katara repeated the movements a couple times, picking up speed as she grew more comfortable. Zuko walked closer, watching her form intently. After a dozen or so switches, Katara stopped. "Was that okay?"

"Perfect. Almost like a real firebender."

Katara grinned, elated that she had mastered it so quickly. "Can you show me another one? Oh, like the one where you deflect, like this?" Her hands touched briefly in front of her before swinging out to the sides, trying to replicate a move he'd once used to block her attack. Unaware of how close Zuko had gotten, her fist connected with his throat as her arm swung outwards.

"Spirits, Zuko! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!" Katara quickly stepped closer, horrified at what she had just done.

Zuko had staggered slightly, caught completely off guard. He rubbed his neck and winced, sucking in a few harsh breaths before answering. "I- I don't think you need me to teach you that deflection move. Seems you've already got that one down." He was in pain, but he smiled at her in a good hearted fashion. "I'm fine... just be more careful next time."

Katara, still horrified, put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm _so sorry._ Maybe we should call it a day?"

Zuko nodded, still wincing. Heading back up to the house, they walked side by side. Katara muttered apologizes the entire way while Zuko adamantly insisted that it was okay.

xx

That same morning, Suki had just woken up and gone into the living room when she noticed Zuko and Katara walking up the hill through the window. They were both laughing at something one of them said. Katara went to punch his shoulder in a friendly, Toph-esque fashion, but Zuko evaded her. She couldn't hear them, but Suki saw Zuko make a big show about her trying to punch him. Katara stuck her tongue out at him, making them both laugh even harder. They looked tired and disheveled, so Suki decided to start on breakfast so Katara wouldn't have to.

She had known about their 'sparring' practices for a while, but decided she wouldn't confront the two about it just yet. Suki had no idea what the whole situation was between them, but wouldn't push Katara about it. They were in the middle of a war, after all. If it was just physical, it wouldn't last once the war was over anyway; no reason to complicate what was likely an already delicate situation. If Katara wanted to talk about it, Suki would be there to listen, not judge.

As she was finishing up, Zuko walked into the kitchen alone. Though he had toweled himself off a bit to cool down, he hadn't changed or washed up. He would have to train and get sweaty with Aang soon. "Morning, Suki."

Suki looked up from her cooking. "Good morning, Zu—" her greeting died on her lips. As she looked at him, Suki's eyes were immediately drawn to the hickey prominent on Zuko's neck. _Oh. My. Gosh!_ She could do nothing but ogle at him.

He noticed her staring and narrowed his eyes questioningly at her. "Uhm. Is everything okay?" he asked, raising his eyebrows a bit.

Suki blinked a couple times and straightened back up. "Oh! No, yeah, sorry. I just, uh, uhm... It's nothing. Breakfast isn't ready yet, sorry, I'll let you know when I'm finished though."

Zuko still looked at her, still confused, but shrugged and left the kitchen without another word.

xx

After Katara washed up, she went downstairs and ran into Zuko in the hallway. "Oh! Sorry!" She said, jumping back after bumping into him. As she looked up, she gasped involuntarily. "Oh my gosh!"

Zuko looked downright frustrated. "What? Why do people keep doing that?" He lowered his voice at the last sentence, asking it more to himself than Katara.

Katara raised her hand up to his neck. "Where I hit you... there's a huge bruise. I guess I did get you pretty hard, huh? Here, let me help you." A look of realization fell over Zuko's face, but he didn't say anything.

Katara took some water out of her skins and healed the wound. "There. All better." Removing her hand from his neck, she smiled, impressed with her handiwork. "I think breakfast should be about ready." She walked past him, and then turned to look back when he didn't follow. "Coming?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah."

* * *

 _And that's chapter one! Wow, that ended up being a bit longer than I planned. I think it's because I had to write a lot more of the girls in Ba Sing Se to set the scene. I'm not planning on my next chapters being this long, maybe about half the word count._

 _I hope you enjoyed this! I had so much fun writing this and I'm so excited for the coming chapters. I had the idea for this a little while ago after reading a couple platonic/friendship Zutara oneshots. I liked the idea of having their friendship be misinterpreted as them being in a relationship, and the three Gaang girls are at the end of the day teenage girls. And as a teenage girl, I can tell you that we definitely giggle and joke and tease each other about our relationships and boys in general._

 _And also, despite the title and content of this story, this is a Zutara fic... so if you're looking for flat out romantic scenes... who knows what might happen ;)_

 _Please comment/review and let me know what you think. I seriously love hearing from you guys and want your opinions/thoughts/criticisms. Til next time!_


	2. Naptime

"Alright, alright. So you guys weren't off canoodling with the other." Toph conceded, grabbing several tea cakes from a nearby platter. "But come on! You guys really do act like you're dating!"

Katara rolled her eyes and made a noise that sounded like she was trying to get something out of the back of her throat. "No we don't! Zuko and I are just friends! We don't _act like a couple._ " She paused a moment, suddenly unsure. "...Do we?"

Suki coughed awkwardly, and looked at Katara like the answer was obvious. "Well…"

 _Oh come on._ "How?! How do Zuko and I act like we're a couple?"

Before Suki could respond, the lady giving Suki her pedicure started scrubbing at her feet, and she started giggling uncontrollably. Toph, not missing a beat, jumped in on Suki's behalf.

"What about the fact that you two _take naps_ together!" Katara's face turned deep red. _Oh please no not this._

Suki shot straight up, almost kicking the poor pedicurist in the face. "Sorry!" She squealed before turning to Katara. " _NAPS?_ As in _more than one?!_ It's happened more than once?" Suki couldn't contain the pure joy and amusement on her face.

Katara was going to _kill_ Toph. " **NO.** It has NOT happened more than once." She glared daggers at Toph, even though her death stare had no effect on the blind earthbender. "It was _ONE TIME,_ and that one time was an _accident._ "

XXX

In the days leading up to Sozin's Comet, everyone was, understandably, stressed out. It was hard enough not truly knowing what to expect, but after the group saw 'The Boy in the Iceberg' and watched the entire nation cheer for their defeat, tensions were especially high. Sokka spent all his time studying old maps and military reports while Suki helped him strategize. Bending practices were more intense than ever. No one held anything back, and no one stopped until they were about to pass out. Aang got hit the hardest. After one element practice, he'd barely have time to catch his breath before having to jump into the next.

There was one day that was particularly exhausting for Katara. She and Aang always practiced on the beach, where there was easy access to all the water they'd need. Normally, the two would go easy on each other. Neither wanted to hurt the other person accidentally which resulted in some pretty mild spars. Katara hated that Aang would go easy on her, but she couldn't really complain as she did the same thing for him. She knew deep down it wasn't truly beneficial for him, but she couldn't help it. Katara would always feel the need to protect and nurture Aang. It would feel _wrong_ to attack him. He'd look at her with those big puppy dog eyes and she'd just feel guilty.

Silently, she was grateful for the company of Toph and Zuko. _Those_ were people she could actually train with. She'd know her victories had been rightly earned, and her defeats would always pinpoint what she needed to work on.

After that play, though, it seemed Aang finally understood how serious all of this was, and how he needed to step up and really practice. Though things were still… awkward after what happened between the two during the intermission of the play, Katara decided she would just ignore what happened until she could figure out what to do about it. To Aang's credit, he seemed to _finally_ respect that Katara wasn't ready for this discussion, and made no reference to their kiss. Conversations were strained, but spars became beneficial and demanding.

It shocked Katara at first, but she quickly rose to the challenge. During one particular battle, the two were putting everything and then some into their duel. As much as Katara enjoyed the fight, it really drained her. Aang was growing more powerful every day. That was great for their cause, but not so great for Katara's muscles.

The massive hill leading back up to the beach house wasn't so great for her muscles, either. By the time she reached the top, Katara was ready to collapse. Walking up the stairs to the house, she noticed Zuko. He was sitting on the side veranda, leaning against the side of the house, reading. Rather than go inside, she decided to join him. When he noticed her, he looked up from his scroll and gave a small smile. She took note of him quickly putting down what he was reading, almost like he was hiding it. _Hmmm._

"How was practice?" He asked as she slid down the wall, planting herself right next to him.

Katara sighed. "Exhausting." She looked over him at the scroll he was trying to push away. "What are you reading?"

Zuko slightly paled, and started stammering incoherently, "I... uh... well it's nothing just..." Katara's eyes narrowed, and she reached out for it. He tried to pull it away, but Katara was too fast. She wrestled it out of his hands and held the scroll in front of her. Her eyes widened in surprise.

" _Love Amongst the Dragons?_ " Katara couldn't hold her laughter in. "Isn't this the play you told us about?"

Zuko looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there in that moment. "Uhm... yeah... After seeing the Ember Island Players, I was thinking about when my mom used to take us to see it. Their performance was awful, but..." Zuko looked as if he was about to _burst_ from embarrassment. "It was always one of my favorite stories." He looked at Katara nervously, as if she were about to start endlessly mocking him.

Instead, she smiled and handed it back to him. "Can you read me some?"

Katara could tell from the shocked look on his face that was not the reaction he was expecting.

"What?"

She scooted closer to him, so their sides were touching. "Yeah," She explained, "if it's one of your favorites, it must be good. And I'm not going to take it from you, so you'll have to read it to me."

Zuko looked at her, perplexed. But instead of protesting, he just looked back down at the scroll. " _The scene opens on the throne room of the Immortal Dragon Emperor Noren. He sits atop his throne, overlooking..."_ As Zuko read, Katara rested her head against Zuko's shoulder. He tensed for a short moment, but didn't say anything. He just continued reading.

Katara thought it was a good story. At least, the few lines she heard from it. She didn't realize how truly tired she was until her head hit Zuko's shoulder. She let Zuko's words flow through her, even though she wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. _He has a nice voice._ Katara thought. _Has it always been this nice and relaxing?_ Katara decided she could listen to Zuko talk _all day._ Her eyes grew heavy. She tried to stay awake, she really did, but it was so _warm_ outside and Zuko's voice was _so soothing_ and she was _so sleepy._

When her eyes finally closed, she was out like a light.

Xx

Suki had spent her day at the town's market. The group was running low on food, and they needed to stock up for the rest of the week. Normally Sokka loved doing the shopping for the group, but he was wrapped up with some Water Tribe trade agreement, so Suki went out alone. It was a weird experience for her. As she walked through the stalls, she realized this would probably be the last time their group needed to restock or visit the market. The comet was only in a few days, and the group liked to be prepared for a while. _Everything is coming to an end,_ she thought sadly.

Suki returned to the house, arms full, and was about to open the door to the house when she glanced to her side. She almost dropped her bags in surprise, she wasn't expecting to see anyone. The railing in front of the house had prevented Suki from seeing them at first, but there they were.

Katara and Zuko were on the veranda, leaning back against the house, completely passed out. Katara had her head on Zuko's shoulder, and Zuko had his head on hers. His unscarred cheek was smooched into Katara's hair. Her legs were curled to the side, whereas Zuko's were stretched straight out. There was something that looked like a scroll halfway held in his hand. Suki stared for a moment before smiling.

 _Well._ She thought. _Most things are coming to an end. But maybe a couple things are just beginning._

She opened the door as softly as she could as to not wake them and slipped inside.

Xx

After putting everything away, Suki went out to the courtyard to practice her warrior forms. Though She no longer had her Kyoshi Warrior uniform or fan with her, Suki made sure to practice daily. She couldn't afford to get rusty, and knew she'd need to be in top form for the Comet.

In the middle of her routine, Sokka came outside. He beamed at her, and as she paused to breathe he planted a quick kiss on her cheek. She blushed, and then went back to practicing. "Hi, honey," Suki offered, attention focused away from her boyfriend.

Sokka started talking, but Suki wasn't listening. She arched her right arm over her head, then punched out with her left. Sokka coughed. "Suki?" He asked. Suki glanced at him, embarrassed that she hadn't really heard what he was saying. She twirled the decorative fan she found in Zuko's attic and used in stead of her own.

"What?" She kicked upward, then stepped past Sokka. _Fists down_. _Back straightened. Fan open._

Sokka looked at her weird. _Fan closed. Knees relaxed._ Suki turned to him and noticed he was holding one of his military reports. "Katara. Have you seen her? I want her opinion on this."

Suki turned away again, tossing her fan from one hand to the other. _Arms extended. Feet planted on the ground_. "Oh yeah, Katara." Another punch. _Fists out. Fan open._ "She and Zuko are sleeping together."

Suki froze. She turned to Sokka, eyes wide and horrified as she realized how she just worded her last sentence. The shock in Suki's eyes was mirrored in Sokka's. The entire courtyard was so silent a leaf falling would have made a sound. Sokka inhaled sharply. He let out a scream that most all of Ember Island was sure to have heard.

" _ **WHAT?!**_ "


End file.
